Merchandise container



A g- 1964 w. L. GEIST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Original Filed Jun 10,1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A g- 1964 w. L. GElST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Original Filed June 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 14' TTOENEY,

11, 1964 w. GEIST ETAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 OriginalFiled June 10, 1953 1, 1964 w. GEIST ETAL 3,144,193

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER Original Filed June 10, 1955 4 Sheets-She t 4 ATT/eA United States Patent 3,144,193 MERCHANDISE CONTAINER William L.Geist, St. Louis, Mo, Hamilton W. Putnam, .leifersonville, Ind., andRoss A. Easter, Minneapolis, Minn, assignors, by direct and mesneassignments, to RC Can Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMissouri Continuation of application Ser. No. 360,658, June 10, 1953.This application Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 805,858 13 Claims. (Cl.229--51) The present invention relates to merchandise containers havinga body of superposed walls made from sheet material for a variety ofproducts including biscuit dough bodies, and has particular reference tomeans which facilitate opening the container body for removal of theproduct contained therein.

The present application is a continuation of our previously filedapplication, Serial Number 360,658, entitled Merchandise Containers andfiled in the United States Patent Office June 10, 1953, now abandoned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container havingan inner body wall with a separation line extending from one end thereofto the other and an outer reinforcing wrapper unit superposed around theinner body wall but provided with a removably peelable portiondetachably adhered to the inner body wall and disposed in overlyingrelation to said separation line.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container ofa generally cylindrical body constructed of a pair of superposed bodywall units the inner body wall having a helically disposed separationline and the outer body wall providing a reinforcing wrapper unit and being detachably adhered to the inner body wall to permit removal of theouter wrapper unit by peeling the same from the inner body wall andfacilitate opening of the container along said helical separation line.

It is another important object of the invention to provide a containerhaving a generally cylindrical body formed from an inner wall unithaving a separation line extending from end to end of the container andan outer reinforcing wrapper unit wound about the inner wall unit anddetachably adhesively connected therewith on opposite sides of theseparation line and the outer wrapper unit having a free unattachedouter extreme marginal edge portion adjacent a removably peelableportion of the outer wrapper unit to facilitate initial peeling of theouter wrapper unit from the inner wrapper unit.

It is a further object to provide a generally cylindrical containerhaving an inner body wall unit and an outer wrapper unit detachably heldin superposed reinforcing relation around the inner wall and having acircumferential cut formed therein substantially adjacent at least oneend of the container to facilitate peeling off the outer wrapper unitfrom the inner body wall unit to thus weaken the container andfacilitate opening thereof at a weakened separation line provided in theinner body wall unit.

It will, of course, be understood that these and other objects andadvantages of this invention will more fully appear from the followingdescriptions made in connection with the accompanying drawings whereinlike reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughoutthe several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the merchandise container embodying thefeatures of my invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the container showing the first steptaken to open the container by pulling on the edge of the label likewrapping.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 showing the flapend of the label wrapping;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the label wrapping pulledaway from its adhesive connection with the outer wall on one side of theabutting edges thereof;

3,144,193 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4showing the label wrapping as pulling one edge portion of the outer wallaway or unwrapped from the inner wall;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the outer label pulled awayfrom the inner wall to expose the abutting edges thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing the outer wall pulled awayfrom contact with threequarters of the circumference of the inner wall;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention with partof the container broken away and showing the outer reinforcing wrapperunit partially unwrapped; and,

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the container shown in FIG. 8 with theouter wall nearly all unwrapped and showing the abutting edges of theinner wall as partially separated.

in the drawings, the numeral 10 designates, generally, a tubularcontainer body which is preferably circular in cross-section.

The tubular container body 10 comprises helically wound tubing which iscut into sections of desired container lengths to form the generallycylindrical body wall.

The container can be used for food products such as the biscuit dough 11shown in FIG. 9 which is usually divided into separate and individualpreformed biscuits. The container body It) consists of an inner wallunit A, including, in the form shown, an inner wall 12 with a suitableinner liner 13 adhered thereto, and an outer reinforcing wrapper unit Bwhich, in the form shown, includes an outer wall 14, with a label-likewrapping 15 adhered thereto.

The liner 13 which is helically wound with over-lapped edges is, in theform shown, made from aluminum foil, or other suitable liner material.

The inner wall unit A, either with or without the liner, may be madefrom a layer of suitable sheet material having a weakened separationline formed therein and extending from end to end thereof. In the formshown this inner wall 12 is made from news line straw chip paper boardstock which includes a short fiber news line layer provided on the outersurface thereof. The separation line is formed by helically winding theinner wall unit with the edges 16 and 17 abutted in edge to edgerelation. When liner 13 is used, it covers the separation line and formsa seal therefor as well as serving to provide limited reinforcementtherefor. The liner applied to the inner surface of the body 12 forms areadily ruptured reinforcing film which bridges the separation line sothat when the container is used for confining a material such as thepreleavened biscuit dough 11, the pressure of the dough exerted on theinner wall would cause the relatively weak bridging film formed by theliner 13 to rupture substantially simultaneously throughout the entirelength of the separation line and release all portions of the doughconfined therewithin substantially simultaneously and prevents extrusionof the dough, thus maintaining the predetermined shape of the dough aspacked within the container.

The outer wrapper unit B may be made from helically wound layers such asthe outer wall 14 of news line straw chip paper board material having alayer of short fiber news line material on the outer surface and beingwound around the inner wall unit A in such a manner as to producehelically disposed abutting edges 18 and 19 and having the outerwrapping 15 applied therearound.

The helical separation line formed by the abutment of the edges 16 and17 of inner wall 12 is concealed by the helically wound outer wall 14superposed therearound and the helical line of abutment of edges 18 and19 of the outer wall 14 is out of register with said separation line ofthe inner wall 12. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through7 inclusive, the superposed inner and outer walls 12 and 14 are notadhesively connected and the outer wall 14 is helically Wound upon theinner wall 12 without any adhesive substance therebetween.

The label-like wrapping 15 may be made from a heli cally wound strip ofsuitable paper material wound in the same direction as the outer wall14, as shown, and substantially the same width as the strip forming theouter wall 14.

In use, one end closure designated 23 is secured to the container body10 which is then filled with the desired product. After filling, thecontainer is sealed by the attachment of a similar closure 24 at itsother end. Both closures are, in the form shown, made from sheet metaland are crimped to the respective ends of the body 10.

The outer wrapper unit B including the label-like wrapping 15 and theouter wall 14 are circumferentially cut, as at 25, to divide the wrapperunit A into two body parts, the one part being relatively narrow at theupper end of the container body. This cut 25 forms a free, unattachedtriangular pull tab 28 in the wrapping 15 where said wrapping intersectsthe cut 25. The relatively narrow part of the container body is notdisturbed in opening the body. The longer of the two parts of the outerreinforcing wrapper unit B is removed from the inner wall 12 when thecontainer body is opened. The label-like wrapper 15 and the outer wall14 are removed as a unit.

Opening of the container body 10 to release the contents thereof iseffected by first lifting the pull tab 28 and then the free unattachedlabel flap 22 at the upper portion thereof as shown in FIG. 2. Thisseparates the helical peeling flap portion 21b of the label 15 from thecorresponding news line layer at the outer facial area 21a of the outerwall 14, as shown in FIG. 4. From this point, further pulling on thelabel will start pulling the outer wall 14 from contact with inner wall12, as shown in FIGS. and 6. When the outer wall 14 has been spirallyunwrapped from the inner wall 12 to the position shown in FIG. 6, theabutting edges 16 and 17 of the inner wall will be exposed. Furtherpulling of the label 15 and outer wall 14 as a unit away from the innerwall 12 will expose more of the abutting edges 16 and 17 of the innerwall 12 so that they may be forced to separate by pressure within asshown in FIG. 9, by expansion of the sealed product 11 which rupturesthe liner 13 on the line of abutment of the inner wall 12. Twisting thecontainer body in opposite drections from opposite ends thereof willunwrap the container from the dough. The helical abutting edges of theinner and outer walls preferably extend completely around one turn ofthe body.

In FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings, we have shown a modification of theinvention in which the outer wall 14 is provided with a strip ofadhesive designated 26 and applied to the inside thereof in overlyingrelation to the butt joint formed by edges 16 and 17. The outer wrapperunit B is shown away from the inner body wall to expose the line ofabutment formed by the abutting edges 16 and 17 of the inner body wall12. This adhesive 26 tends to hold the abutting edges 16 and 17 togetherby securing them to the outer wall 14, thereby tending to preventinternal pressure leaks along the separation line of the inner body wall12. The outer news line layer on the inner body permits the outerwrapper unit B to be easily removed even when attached at 26.

As shown in FIGS. 2 through 9 of the drawings, the outer face andabutting end face portions of the outer body wall 14 may be providedwith a paraffin coating 27 to prevent the abutting edges 18 and 19,respectively, from welding together by the adhesive that secures thelabel wrapping to the outer body wall 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the label 15 and the outer body wall 14 arecircumferentially cut through at the bottom as well as at the upper cut25, as shown at 29 adjacent the end closure 24, similar to cut 25, thuspermitting the wrapping 15 and outer body wall 14 disposed between theicircumferential cuts 25 and 29 to be spirally removed from the innerbody wall 12 without necessitating tearing of the outer wrapping unit Aalong the edge of the crimped end closure 24 as would otherwise be done.

The many advantages of the present invention will readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains, and itwill be observed that outer reinforcing wrapper unit B is constructed topermit easy removal thereof from the helical separation line formed bythe butt joint between edges 16 and 17 of inner body 12.

It is thought that the invention hereindescribed and many of itsattendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description,and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferredembodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise container particularly designed to permit easysubstantially full length opening thereof, said container comprisinginner and outer body walls of fibrous material detachably bondedtogether, each wall having opposed helical abutting edges respectivelyforming innerand outer separation lines, an outer wrapping surroundingsaid outer body wall and adhesively connected thereto, said wrapping andsaid outer body wall having a circumferential cut therein in closelyspaced relation to one end of the container, said outer wrapping havinga free edge portion to provide a pull flap to facilitate removal of theouter wrapping and the outer body wall as a unit from the inner bodywall.

2. A substantially cylindrical container particularly designed to permiteasy full length opening thereof, said container comprising a pair ofhelically wound body walls each having the edges thereof abutted in sideby side relation to respectively form inner and outer separation linespositioned out of registry with each other, the outer body wall beingremovably wound about said inner body wall and having a circumferentialweakness line in closely spaced relation to one end of the container tofacilitate unwrapping of a major portion of said outer body from saidinner body.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 and means for sealing thecircumferential weakness line.

4. A substantially cylindrical container particularly designed to permiteasy opening thereof, said container comprising a pair of superposedhelically wound layers of sheet material, the inner layer having agenerally helically formed separation line, and an outer wrappingadhesively connected to the outer of the two layers and detachablyadhesively binding said two layers together in superposed position butpermitting removal of the outer wrapping and the outer layer from theinner layer to expose said inner separation line and permit opening ofthe container at said inner separation line.

5. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy,substantially full-length opening thereof,

said container comprising a lined, inner, substantially cylindrical bodywall having a weakened separation line formed therein and extendingsubstantially from end to end of the container, an outer reinforcinglayer having a separation line out of register with the separation lineof the inner body wall and substantially coextensive therewith, theouter wrapping being removably adhesively bonded to the inner wall overthe separation line of the inner wall to positively hold said separationline together, the outer wrapping being removable from the innerbody'wall to permit the container to be opened at the separation line ofthe inner wall, and closure means at each end of the container.

6. A container particularly designed to permit easy substantially fulllength opening thereof, said container comprising a generallycylindrical inner body having a weakened separation line extendingsubstantially the full length thereof, liner material adhered to theinner surface of said inner body and bridging across the weakenedseparation line to provide an inner seal and reinforcement at saidseparation line, closure means for the ends of the container, an outerreinforcing wrapping superposed about said inner body and constructedand arranged to have at least a substantial portion thereof readilyremovable from the portions of said inner body adjacent said separationline on both sides thereof to expose the separation line throughoutsubstantially the entire length thereof while permitting the inner bodyand liner to remain in closed material confining relation but weakeningsaid container at said separation line to permit easy and substantiallysimultaneous full length opening thereof by rupturing the inner linermaterial at said separation line to provide an opening extending thefull length of the container, while said end closure means remainattached to the ends of the container.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6 and said outer wrapping includinga free unattached flap portion adjacent the removable portion thereof tofacilitate peeling off of the removable portions from the underlyinginner body to facilitate exposure of the separation line prior toopening of the inner body.

8. The structure set forth in claim 6 and said separation line beinghelically formed in said inner body.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8 and said helically formedseparation line being pitched to extend around substantially the entirecircumference of the inner body to facilitate unwrapping of thecontainer without removal of the container ends.

10. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy,substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising aninner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separationline formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of thecontainer, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the innerbody wall, substantially the entire outer wrapping being integrallypeelaby removable from the inner body wall, adhesive means between theouter wrapping and the inner body wall forming the bond therebetween atleast along the marginal area of the inner body wall on both sides ofthe separation line to securely hold the separation line together beforeremoval of the outer wrapping, the removable outer wrapping having afree marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portion of the containerto facilitate the integral peeling of substantially the entire outerreinforcing wrapping from the inner body wall to permit the container tobe opened at the separation line of the inner body wall and closuremeans at each end of the container.

11. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy,substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising aninner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separationline formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of thecontainer, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the innerbody wall, substantially the entire 6 outer wrapping being integrallypeelably removable from the inner body wall, the removable outerWrapping having a free marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portionof the container to facilitate the integral peeling of sub stantiallythe entire outer reinforcing wrapping from, the inner body Wall topermit the container to be opened at the separation line of the innerbody wall and closure means at each end of the container, and one edgeof said outer wrapping overlapping the other edge in free unattachedrelation thereto to form said free unsecured marginal edge portion.

12. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easy,substantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising aninner substantially cylindrical body wall having a weakened separationline formed therein and extending substantially from end to end of thecontainer, an outer reinforcing wrapping removably bonded to the innerbody wall, substantially the entire outer wrapping being integrallypeelably removable from the inner body wall, the removable outerwrapping having a free marginal edge unsecured to the underlying portionof the container to facilitate the integral. peeling of substantiallythe entire outer reinforcing wrapping from the inner body wall to permitthe container to be opened at the separation line of the inner body walland closure means at each end of the container, and said free marginaledge extending substantially the full length of the container.

13. A hollow tubular container particularly designed to permit easysubstantially full length opening thereof, said container comprising aninner substantially cylindrical body wall helically formed with adjacentedges thereof abutted to provide a generally helical butt joint and forma weakened separation line extending substantially from one end of thecontainer to the other, an outer reinforcing wrapping superposed aboutsaid inner body wall and having at least the portion thereof overlyingsaid helical separation line detachable and bodily removable therefromto expose said separation line throughout substantiaily the entirelength thereof and said outer wrapping including a free unattached flapportion adjacent said removable portion to facilitate integral removalof said removable portion from the underlying body Wall structureadjacent said separation line to permit full length opening of the bodyWall at said separation line, said outer reinforcing wrapping beinghelically Wound about said body wall and said free overlying flapportion forming a generally helically disposed free flap extendingsubstantially the full length of the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,932,169 Allen et a1. Oct. 24, 1933 1,936,417 Ware Nov. 21, 19332,051,923 Vogt Aug. 25, 1936 2,073,537 La Bombard Mar. 9, 1937 2,793,126Fienup et a1. May 21, 19,57

1. A MERCHANDISE CONTAINER PARTICULARLY DESIGNED TO PERMIT EASYSUBSTANTIALLY FULL LENGTH OPENING THEREOF, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISINGINNER AND OUTER BODY WALLS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL DETACHABLY BONDEDTOGETHER, EACH WALL HAVING OPPOSED HELICAL ABUTTING EDGES RESPECTIVELYFORMING INNER AND OUTER SEPARATION LINES, AN OUTER WRAPPING SURROUNDINGSAID OUTER BODY WALL AND ADHESIVELY CONNECTED THERETO, SAID WRAPPING ANDSAID OUTER BODY WALL HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CUT THEREIN IN CLOSELYSPACED RELATION TO ONE END OF THE CONTAINER, SAID OUTER WRAPPING HAVINGA FREE EDGE PORTION TO PROVIDE A PULL FLAP TO FACILITATE REMOVAL OF THEOUTER WRAPPING AND THE OUTER BODY WALL AS A UNIT FROM THE INNER BODYWALL.